I didn't start learning a second language until I began taking Italian in high school, in eighth grade. In my opinion, that is much to late and I honestly wish I had began taking Italian at a much younger age, preferably when I started school in kindergarten. I remember reading a study that if a person tries to learn another language before age nine, they'll become fluent in it. However, after the age of nine it's nearly impossible for this to happen. Which was definitely the case with me-yes, I can read Italian, and understand quite a bit of it when it's spoken to me, but I'm far from fluent. I still think in English, and need to translate my thoughts as I speak them. Since graduating high school, almost six years ago, I find that I've almost completely lost the ability to speak Italian, and comprehending it is becoming more and more difficult. That being said, I wish I had learned it at a younger age, so that I'd still be able to speak it and use the language today.